Romanov Blood
by bholley
Summary: Anya seems to get thrown around an awful lot in the conflict with Rasputin on the bridge. An expansion of what happened plus my own twist. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

"Pooka!"

Anya stumbled out onto a stone road and fell as tendrils of topiary grasped at her neck. Scrambling back to her feet, Anya heard a voice and reluctantly looked up as Pooka growled.

"Anastasia, your imperial highness. Look what ten years has done to us. You, a beautiful young flower. And me, a rotting corpse." The shrouded, green-tinged figure advanced toward Anya.

"That face…"

"Last seen, heard, at a party like this one…"

"The Curse…"

"Followed by a tragic night on the ice. Remember?"

In the midst of the swirling green magic that threatened to throw Anya to the ground like a wave, something sparked. A flash of light passed before her eyes, illuminating a scene as if it were a reflection in a frosted, dusty mirror. A bony hand scraping her ankle, trying to drag her down into the shattered ice. A frightened glance up into the same haggard, awful face.

"Rasputin!" A look of utter horror and disgust covered her face.

"Rasputin! Destroyed by your despicable family. But what goes around comes around and around and around and around…" He chuckled cruelly as his green shadow demons tore at Anya's dress whirling her around. She shook them off.

"I'm not afraid of you." She snarled.

"I can fix that. Care for a little swim under the ice?"

The ground suddenly fell away from under her feet. Anya screamed and clung for dear life to the ragged edge of the bridge over the frigid waters of the Seine river.

Say your prayers, Anastasia. No one can save you!" Rasputin snarled, preparing to kick her into the swirling torrent below.

"Wanna bet?" A voice shouted from behind Rasputin. Anya gasped. Dimitri tore off his tie as he ran and upon reaching them, punched Rasputin soundly in the face. At that moment, Anya's grip failed and she slid down the broken section of stone, managing to hold on to the very edge. Close behind her Dimitri seized her hand in both of his and struggled to pull her up the steep incline.

"Dimitri… If we live through this, remind me to…"

"Thank me later." He interrupted, struggling to get them to safety.

"How enchanting. Together again. For the last time!" Rasputin taunted from above on the bridge. A tendril of green snaked out from the reliquary, wrapped itself around Dimitri and lifted him off into the sky and onto a newly animated horse statue that began to fly, trying to kill Dimitri. Anya meanwhile had managed to reach the solid part of the bridge again, and not a minute too soon. The rest of the shattered wreck fell away finally and splashed down, disappearing into the water. The horse threw Dimitri from its back and tried to stamp on him.

"NO!" Anya shouted but was cut off by two bony hands grabbing her by the neck. She choked, unable to breathe. She tried to shout again but no sound came out. Her hands were losing their grip on the sharp stone. Her vision was getting blurred and she felt herself slipping away. She heard a voice dimly, as if in a dream…

"Dasvidania your highness . Finally the last Romanov dead" The pressure on her neck was released, and she felt herself falling, falling… but blacked out before she landed.

She came to lying on her back on some very hard and very cold surface. She gasped and sat up, which sent her head reeling. She'd landed on a slab of Rasputin's enchanted ice. It had kept her from drowning. Ironic. She looked up to see Rasputin cackling down at where he thought she fell.

"NO! Anya!" Dimitri's anguished cry sparked her into action. She struggled up a steep access stairway up the side of the bridge. She reached the top to find Dimitri once again locked in combat with the horse, and Rasputin still gazing down into the freezing water.

"Long live the Romanovs!" He cackled, lifting his green reliquary high.

"Right. I couldn't have said it better myself." Anya said and lunged for the reliquary in his hand. She managed to grab it and tried to throw it down, but Rasputin seized her arm and twisted it. Anya cried out in pain and dropped the thing. It broke enough to dissolve the horse, which released Dimitri. He was rushing toward them but Rasputin was too fast. Wielding a piece of heavy twisted metal, he struck at Anya's head. It connected with a sharp crack that threw her back several feet, head over heels, where she finally came to a stop and did not move.

Emboldened by this victory, Rasputin allowed himself a moment to smirk at his nemesis's fallen body. Blood was dripping down her forehead and from between her lips, dying her face a deep red. Romanov blood, spilled tonight. Finally.

His reverie was broken by a shattering sound. He whirled around to see Dimitri standing over a shattered green tube, a piece of metal much like Rasputin's held in his hand. He dodged a swipe from Rasputin and scrambled to Anya's side. She still hadn't moved.

Rasputin screamed in shock and horror. How could this happen? How could he take his eyes off of the reliquary for just a second and allow THIS to happen! A bright flash of green followed from the sky, shooting down upon Rasputin like a meteor. It struck his head and he began to shake, and to dissolve down until even his bones were a fine powder that was being blown away by the wind.

With a last surge over the fragmented bridge, Dimitri reached Anya.

"No…" He groaned, taking in her bleeding forehead. He put a hand under her head and was shocked to find blood dripping from her partially opened mouth.

"Anya!" He cried, digging through his pockets for a handkerchief. He tore it in half, pressing one half to her forehead and the other to her bleeding mouth. He could see that in her fall she had bitten her tongue. He looked around. The entire area was deserted despite the fact that half of the bridge was in the water. Anya was still unconscious, very pale and cold. Dimitri gently lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the castle her grandmother was residing in.


	2. Chapter 2

Previously:

Ehh, go look back at it. It's not that long, though it has been a long time since I've updated. And for the conclusion to our little tale…

Chapter 2:

Dimitri cradled Anya close to his body. They were both freezing cold. She was bleeding and unconscious. The Empress was looking in a mirror when Dimitri staggered inside. She saw his face, but the rest of his body and Anya were blocked by the elderly lady's shoulder.

"Ah, good. She found you. I was beginning to think that you had already left." She turned around and gasped in shock, her hand rising to cover her mouth.

"What happened?" She cried as she ran to them. Sophie skidded around the corner and stopped suddenly as she saw the scene before her. Dimitri was also bleeding and exhausted by the fight. He fell to his knees and lay Anya down on the luxurious carpet while the Empress and Sophie knelt beside them. He looked up at the Empress with haunted eyes.

"Romanov curse… Rasputin… almost got her… couldn't stop him… killed him… I'm so sorry… Anya…"

Sophie called for doctors while Dimitri continued to dab his handkerchief at Anya's wounds. Her grandmama gently checked to see if Anya was breathing. Dimitri was finally overcome by his wounds and exhaustion and passed out beside his Grand Duchess.

Dimitri woke on a bed in what appeared to be a dormitory. He sat up in fear but relaxed when he saw Anya on a bed nearby. He heard a doctor and the Empress talking about their injuries.

"The boy has a slight concussion and some bruises and cuts. He was mostly exhausted by the fight and trying to save the princess. The Grand Duchess also suffered a concussion. She has some bruised ribs and a broken arm. It was a simple break and should heal easily. We've set it already."

Dimitri groaned a bit and moved. He was very sore. He brought a hand up to feel his face. He realized his nose was even more crooked than it had been before. The doctor continued talking to the Empress as he moved toward the young man.

"Actually, there are several indications of spirit damage. I know the bridge broke but there is no evidence of anything supernatural."

"Sir… there was a… horse… reliquery…" Dimitri was quickly falling back asleep. He was still quite weak and tired.

"Poor boy. He still needs more sleep. The two of them should probably sleep for a few more hours before they will be well enough to talk of their experience."

"Very well, doctor. Thank you for your assistance."

"You're quite welcome, your majesty. I shall return tomorrow to check on their conditions."

Hours later, Anya began to wake. She first felt the pain in her head from where the pipe struck her. She felt stiff and altogether immobile. Her memory slowly came back. She remembered finding her Grandmama at last and being in the palace when she went to find Pooka. She involuntarily twitched as she remembered meeting Rasputin again. Her memories of the conflict were foggy, but she remembered a magical horse trying to kill Dimitri when she… Dimitri!

She sat bold upright, startling Grandmama and making her head pound. She saw Dimitri in a nearby bed and relaxed.

"Be still, dear. You'll both be fine. Try not to move your arm." Anya looked down at the cast with confusion in her eyes. Grandmama gently told Anya about the injuries and then Anya told her about what really happened.

"The last thing I remember is Rasputin's magical horse attaching Dimitri. I tried to get the reliquary away from Rasputin but he swung something at me. That's all I remember. I couldn't stop him. I'm glad Dimitri is okay." She looked fondly at her sleeping man.

"You love him, don't you?" she asked gently.

"I… think I do. Is that… okay?"

"Honey, for the longest time, I didn't even know you were alive. It's all I could ask for that you're with me. Of course you can love him. The Romanov line is… well… gone. You're not expected to try to continue it. He loves you too, you know."

"You think so?" She asked excitedly.

"I know so." The male voice was somewhat unexpected. Anya whirled around in surprise. She saw Dimitri leaning up on an elbow with a gentle smile.

"I love you, Anya. Will you marry me?" Despite her broken arm, Anya leapt from her bed and wrapped him in a strong hug.

"Of course I will!"

And they lived happily ever after.

(A/N: I know it's a bit cheesy and not up to my normal standard of quality, but I thought it was better to end it than to keep people wondering about it. I'm sorry. If anybody else has ideas for how to improve it, I might get around to it eventually. Thanks for reading.)


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